What a football match it was at the La Rosaleda stadium. For a long time it went in blue-yellow tones.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd fixed a Swedish corner after twelve seconds. When the match clock ticked up to 38 seconds, it was 1-0 to Sweden.
Kosovare Asllani’s corner was headed against the far post by Linda Sembrant. There was Julia Zigiotti Olme who, in her 27th international game, headed in her first national team goal.
On the bench could Caroline Seger does nothing but laugh. On Sunday, the 38-year-old announced that this national team gathering would be her last, and she couldn’t have gotten off to a better start to her last night with the gang.
She would soon have the opportunity to pull on the smiley lines more.
Selma Paralluelo headed in 1-1 in the eleventh minute on a superb cross from Olga Carmona. But this was the away team’s half.
Sweden chose to line up with a five-back line – or three backs and two wings if you like – and it was a success during the first 45 minutes of the match.
Just three minutes after the Spanish equaliser, Kosovare put Asllani 2–1. It was a particularly fancy football goal.
Stina Blackstenius put the ball in perfectly behind the Spanish defenders and Asllani thanked the eminent forward play by deliciously chipping the ball past goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez.
In the 29th minute they were both on the move again. Asllani stressed out a drop in the Spanish penalty area and the ball eventually ended up with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd who found Blackstenius who poked in 3–1.
Sweden also got off to a flying start second half, when Rytting Kaneryd again found Blackstenius with a pass. This time the crossbar stopped the Arsenal striker from scoring a fourth Swedish goal.
It didn’t work out
It could have killed the excitement. In the 51st minute, Athenea del Castillo sparked the match instead, reducing it to 2-3 on another fine cross from Carmona, in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Since Italy at the same time went towards a clear victory in their match against Switzerland (3–0 in the end), it was clear that Sweden would have to win to avoid the playoff in February.
Spain’s pressure grew and grew – it did not immediately decrease when Barcelona star Aitana Bonmatí was substituted after an hour of play – and in the end Sweden did not resist.
Jennifer Falk was responsible for some really sweaty saves, but on Mariona Caldentey’s projectile in the 78th minute, she had no chance. The Barcelona midfielder took the ball down on his chest in the penalty area, let it bounce once – and then thundered in 3-3 at the crossbar.
Stina Blackstenius had a good chance to give Sweden the lead immediately afterwards, but the finish was lame. In the next attack, it was instead another Spanish goal celebration.
Fiamma Benítez had most of the 15,896 in the stands cheering when she was released with Jennifer Falk and coolly lifted in 4-3. In the 89th, Caldentey also made it 5–3.
In just a few months, Sweden has suffered three really heavy losses against Spain. In the World Cup semi-final last summer, Spain decided in the final minutes, and in the Nations League premiere at Gamla Ullevi in September, the match-winning Spanish goal came in extra time.
On Monday, the playoff game in the Nations League will be drawn. Then it will be decided which team from the B division Sweden will face in February, in a double match for a place in the top division in the upcoming EC qualifiers.
2023-12-05 17:54:27
#Sweden #lost #Spain #Nations #League
